Anton Corbijn to Take Director's Seat on James Dean Biopic 'Life'

The helmer of George Clooney-starring 'The American' will direct the See-Saw film, which centers on the friendship between Dean and photographer Dennis Stock.

Photo credit: /WENN

James Dean biopic "Life" has found its director. Dutch filmmaker and music video director Anton Corbijn is attached to serve behind the lens for the film, which is a tale of Dean's friendship with a Life Magazine photographer named Dennis Stock. "The King's Speech" producer Iain Canning is on board under See-Saw Films banner.

As reported by The Wrap, the upcoming film is set in 1955. It follows young Stock who receives a life-changing assignment: to shoot a free-spirited actor named James Dean. Traveling from L.A. to New York to Indiana, the shutterbug takes now-iconic images of Dean, before "East of Eden" rose the style icon to stardom.

"Candy" scribe Luke Davies pens the screenplay of the movie, which is expected to begin production in early 2014.

Many films based on personal stories of the late star, who died at the age of 24, have been created. One of them is 2001's TV movie "James Dean", featuring James Franco as the titular character. The Mark Rydell-directed pic, which led Franco to win Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Film, chronicled Dean's rise from a struggling actor to an A-list movie star in 1950s Hollywood.